Memories of Zanarkand
by Tug AND Koyoko Mei
Summary: Originally PG-13, but we used the F-word a lot. AU fic. Contains Tiyuna. Plays on the idea of Tidus staying with the Al Bhed rather than meeting with Yuna on Besaid.
1. Memories of Zanarkand I: Al Bhed

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Memories of Zanarkand I

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Disclaimer: If we owned Final Fantasy X, we most likley would not be writing Fanfics. Please don't sue, because between my $3.50 and Tug's coin collection, we really don't have a lot of money. 

Authors Note(s): Tidus as Al Bhed Idea by Tug. Everything else was done by Koyoko. **_Memories of Zanarkand _ is in no way connected to 'Pyreflies'.** This is a Slightly A.U story. It contains Tiyuna. Basically it plays on the idea of Tidus being picked up by the Al Bhed and not getting dragged away by Sin. PG - 13 for graphic descriptions of Violence and language. The time frame was spaced out for plot development. Memories of Zanarkand is a trilogy. This is part I, basically about Tidus's life with the Al Bhed. 

One more thing: **Neither Tug nor Koyoko have a split personality. We are in fact, two different people.** We are both fifteen years old, and go to the same High School. Koyoko has her own Fanfiction account, pen name Koyoko Mei where she posts her Fanfics. Fanfics and others on this account are collaborations with Tug. Tug, on the other hand, used to have her own fanfiction.net account, but she sold her soul to the devil. Actually, she gave it to her little cousin.

Another Thing [Koyoko]: This story may be A. U but it contains NO ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. Kayakku, the Al Bhed is NOT an original character. **If** you played the game, you may remember that Kayakku was one of the Al Bhed that was dying when you were on Bikkanel island. If you haven't played the game... this Fic contains spoilers. 

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"Sin!" an Al Bhed shouted. Tidus quickly turned around, and Rikku was running. With a tremendous lurch, he fell backwards, hitting his head against the ship's railing. Everything around him was slowly going dim. 

The ship lurched again, and Tidus was flung against the cabin door. There was a splitting pain at the back of his head, and that was all he could remember.

_|_

When Tidus woke up, he was in one of the bunks, still on the salvage ship. He could tell because he heard the water lapping gently at the sides of the ship. He turned his head a little to look out a porthole window. It was early, and the sun was coming up. 

Tidus had a bandage wrapped around his head that was dirty and bloody. 

"**Ruf'c dra cmaabehk bnehlacc?**" An al Bhed voice said with a snicker. 

"**Lid res cusa cmylg! Ra luimt ryja teat!**" Rikku protested. 

:: _I'm stuck here..._:: Tidus thought to himself. :: _This is going to be my life now... this is my story..._:: 

"Hey! Are you awake yet?" Rikku's face was hovering inches above his. Tidus turned his head away. "Okay, well, you have to get up now." Rikku stood upright. After a few minutes Tidus hadn't moved. "I'm serious!" She said. "You have to get up now! They said that you have to work." 

Tidus got up slowly, but when he stood, everything around him seemed to spin, he put his hand against the ship's wall for support. 

"Come on!" Rikku waved her hands before rushing out. 

It had been two weeks that Tidus had been working on the salvage ship. He still couldn't speak Al Bhed, but he could understand a little. His Blitzball uniform was stained with grease, he would need new clothes, sooner or later. 

"**Rinno ib**!" Rikku's brother shouted at him. Tidus was hunched over, working meticulously on a tiny switchboard. It was for one of the smaller machina. He would get new 'chores' every morning that he would have to finish by the end of the day. Someone would literally kick him out of bed in the morning, and then someone else would give him a bunch of scrap metals or a broken machine and tell him to '**Vaq rd**!'. 

It was getting late, and he probably wasn't going to get dinner again. Sometimes they forgot to feed him, and If he didn't get his task done, he definitely wouldn't get anything to eat. 

He carefully put the switchboard in place. :: _All Done_.:: Tidus thought to himself, but he was so tired, he went back to his bunk without even bothering to ask for food. 

The next morning all he heard were the shouts of Al Bhed '**Rusa!**' '**Rusa!**' Tidus looked out his window. A desert Island was slowly coming into view. This was 'Rusa', whatever that meant. 

_|_

'Rusa', Tidus learned, meant 'Home' - where the Al Bhed lived. But even here, even at 'Home' things hadn't really changed all that much. Tidus was given a new set of clothes - A blue shirt, grey vest, baggy white pants, and a new pair of boots. But everyone knew he wasn't Al Bhed.

"**Oui yna du nabyen draca.**" An older Al Bhed female instructed Tidus, before turning to leave. A giant pile of scrap metal was scattered out in front of him. Tidus scratched his head, and looked at the wall opposite him. On the wall was the plans for modifying some kind of ship. An airship, he realized. It would have to fly. 

When he started working on the frame, he wasn't really sure what he was doing. They hadn't given him a lot of tools to work with, either. An old, rusty ratchet, a broken screwdriver, a welding torch, and a knife. 

It was two months that he worked on the Airship, when Rikku came back. 

"Oh wow, you did a good job on the framework!" Rikku exclaimed. Brother walked over to the half assembled machina that Tidus had worked so hard on and kicked it. Most of it crumbled, and tiny screws and bolts went flying. 

"But I guess you should make it stronger." Rikku suggested, smiling. For some odd reason, Tidus had a strange urge to wring her neck. 

He worked on other machina, too. The kinds used in battle, or weapons, like guns. He would always go back to working on the airship, though. In the months that passed, Tidus learned Al Bhed. He spoke slowly, and he was often teased or taunted about it. 

One day he snapped. He had been working on the Airship, and one of the Al Bhed with a few friends came in.

"**Ruf ec dra fung lussehk?**" [How is the work coming?] he asked.

"**Lussehk ymuhk. Cmufmo." **[Coming along. Slowly.] Tidus answered, not taking his eyes off his task. The Al Bhed raised his eyebrow. 

"Talk too slow!" He exclaimed in Tidus' own language, Then turned to his friends. "**Ra sicd pa cmuf eh dra rayt yc famm!**" [He must be slow in the head as well!] He began to laugh, as did the group of Al Bhed he was with. 

Because his head was turned, he didn't see Tidus running up to him. 

Tidus tackled the Al Bhed at full force knocking him down, and got a good punch in, too. The others had taken up the chant '**Vekrd! Vekrd!**'

The Al Bhed, had some fighting experience, whereas Tidus did not. He quickly turned the tables, and got Tidus in a headlock. 

Tidus flailed his arms wildly, and The Al Bhed laughed, tightening his grip. "**Huf oui Ghuf fryd ed ec mega du pa hudrehk, Cdyn bmyoan uv dra **Zanarkand Abes." [Now you knowwhat it is like to be nothing, Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes.] He hissed, releasing Tidus from the headlock. And laughing, they shuffled out of the large room, letting Tidus finish his work. 

But he didn't do back to his work, he instead picked up his knife, and held it against his left forearm. 

"**Hudrek. Drad'c fryd oui yna. Hudrek.**" [Nothing. That's what you are. Nothing.] He applied pressure to the knife, letting it sink into his skin. There was a sharp pain, but he knew that the pain he felt came from the knife, not from some emotion he couldn't explain. Not from being alone, not from remembering Zanarkand. From a simple knife. 

He pulled the knife along, blood came pouring out from his cut. He stopped when he reached the elbow. Tidus removed the knife, and touched his wound with his right index finger in a kind of bizarre fascination. He took up the knife again, and made another cut. Blood was all over his hands and arm, and the knife. He heard footsteps. Tidus quickly wiped the bloody knife clean, and tossed it to the side. He grabbed a thick rag, meant for applying grease, that was still clean, and wrapped it around his right forearm. He cleaned off his hands on a greasy towel. 

"I heard a fight broke out." Rikku said. Her chirpy voice echoed throughout the room. The ceilings were high, and the walls spaced far apart. Giant lights from the ceiling illuminated the room, where the unfinished airship stood in the center. 

"**Ed fyc hudrek." **[It was nothing.] Tidus said. 

"Okay... well... here. I brought you some food." Rikku produced a small tray filled with food that was mostly burnt, and unrecognizable. 

When Tidus didn't start eating, Rikku smiled at him, and left. Tidus grimaced at his food, before getting up, and dumping it in a trash bin. 

If Rikku hadn't saved his life, that would have been much better. Then he would be dead, free of sorrow, free of pain. 

Auron - It was Auron that brought Tidus away from Zanarkand, To Spira. All he wanted to do was go home. Home! His home, Zanarkand.

But he couldn't go home. 

And so, he sat in the corner, hunched over, his arms covering his face, with only his memories of Zanarkand to console him. 

_|_

Months went by, Rikku was often away, and that was good. Tidus decided he hated Rikku, too. She often would fancy that she was looking out for him, but that was definitely not the case. 

Tidus' clothes were grease stained, and he had grease marks on his face. A once - blue knit cap was pulled over his head, and a large pair of goggles covered his eyes. He was working on one of the smaller battle machina, and he had been welding two copper plates together. Then he came to the fuse box. 

Any kind of electrical energy that came in contact with the fuse box could cause it to explode. It might seem like an accident. 

Tidus flipped a switch, turning on the machina. The loose pieces clanked together, and small jolts of electric energy ran through the fuse box. He put the flame from the welding torch onto the panel. 

The explosion was heard by just about everyone, and Tidus was flung across the large room, against a thick metal wall. Everything went black. 

At first he thought he was dead, but he heard the laughing voices of others, and the world faded from black, back into focus. He was dizzy, and everything seemed to be spinning.

"**Cdibet vuum! Uhmo y eteud fuimt nabyen y vica frema ed fyc dinhat uh!**" [Stupid fool! Only an Idiod would try and repair a fuse when it was turned on!] Tidus recognized the voice. It was the Al Bhed he had gotten into a fight with a few months ago. His name was Keyakku. 

"**Fryd fana oui drehk!!**" [What were you thinking!!] Rikku exclaimed. Tidus turned his head away from the voices, he hadn't died. He was still here. Zanarkand. He turned his thoughts back to home. "**Oui luimt ryja paah gemmat!**" [You could have been killed!] But Rikku's voice was meaningless, and it didn't seem to reach Tidus, as he lie there, dreaming of Zanarkand.

The next morning, he got up, and was told to work as usual. This time on a much bigger machina, that was of a more simple design. He was told to repair the simple model so that he wouldn't do something 'stupid' like he did last time. 

Tidus figured he could cause another explosion by lighting the fuel cell on fire, But they hadn't given him a blowtorch. 

"**Meva ec vemmad fedr csymm bnupmasc." **[Life is filled with small problems.] Tidus grumbled to himself. He put a hand in his pocket. He pulled out a small fuse. 

Hopefully, if he turned the damn thing on, he could use an electrical spark to set the fuel cell aflame. 

And that's what he did. 

But, like before, his attempt at suicide was unsuccessful. 

_|_

Tidus woke up in his bunk surrounded by not only Rikku and Keyakku, but Brother, and several others. 

"**Zylgycc! Ra ymsucd talybydat racamv!**" [Jackass! He almost decapitated himself!] Brother laughed, but he was silenced by a glare from Rikku.

"**Dra dycgc oui yna kejehg res yna duu tevelimd!**" [The tasks you are giving him are too difficult!] Rikku protested.

"**Ra tet veha pavuna! Fedruid pmufehk rescamv ib, Y sayh.**" [He did fine before! Without blowing himself up, I mean.] Brother retorted. 

"**Yna oui cikkacdehk ra tuac drec uh binbuica!**" [Are you suggesting that he does this on purpose!] Rikku exclaimed. 

"**Oac!**" [Yes!] Brother folded his arms across his chest. 

But even so, Tidus was sent back to work two days later. Rikku was supposed to be helping him. It was another one of the small battle machina, and Rikku watched as Tidus worked before she realized that he was totally competent. 

Tidus could see that Rikku was somewhat confused. But he had finished his work for the day, so he shuffled off to see if there was anything for him to eat. 

_|_

A few weeks later, Tidus was told to do maintenance work on a security panel. It was simple, really. All he had to do was open a panel, look at some wires and gears, and say everything was fine. 

Tidus had flipped open the panel, and reached in with his right hand to connect a loose wire. 

"**Hud kuehk du ryja yho 'Ylletahds' drec desa?**" [Not going to have any 'Accidents' this time?] Brother appeared on the scene. 

"**Ayd cred dra tea." **[Eat shit and die.] Tidus responded angrily. 

"**Syopao E'mm ramb oui drec desa!**" [Maybe I'll help you this time!] Brother snapped, shoving Tidus into the panel. His left hand was caught in the gears, and blood and chunks of his hand sprayed everywhere. 

When he finally managed to pull his hand out, or what was left of his hand, the entire thing was a bloody mess. Large chunks of flesh were missing, and he could see the bone in a lot of places. There was blood everywhere. 

"**Fro dra vilg tat oui cdub fungehk!**" [Why the fuck did you stop working!] An Al Bhed demanded. "**RUMO CRED!" **[HOLY SHIT!] He exclaimed, the colour on his face drained, he looked somewhat faint, and sick from all the gore. 

Tidus stood there, calm, in a kind of morbid fascination, examining his hand, holding it up close to his face, turning it over and examining whatever was left of his palm. 

Keyakku had sewn the bits of skin together, and his hand, looked shriveled and stretched out in some places. It wasn't a pleasant sight to look at. At least he still had the use of that hand. Tidus pulled out a small crate that had his Blitzball uniform in it. He took his metal glove, and arm plate from the crate and strapped it onto his right arm, moving his fingers experimentally. And then he saw something else in the crate. His silver chain that had the Blitzball logo on it. Tidus examined it for a moment, before putting it into his pocket.

Cid, Rikku's father and the leader of the Al Bhed even came to apologize for what brother had done. 

As he was leaving, something fell from his pocket. A sphere, maybe? After Cid had left, Tidus carefully picked up the sphere, and watched closely as memories that weren't his own swirled before his eyes. 

In the Sphere's recording, a young woman was talking to her brother, Cid. Tidus didn't understand much of what was being said, but one image caught his memory, and remained there. 

A small girl, five or six years old, 'Yuna' the woman called her, she was her daughter. Tidus couldn't help starting at this child. One thing he noticed straight away were her eyes - She had one green eye, and one blue. 

"Yuna." The woman said. "I have told her... to seek you out if there is ever any trouble..." 

Tidus listened to the recording again, just to catch a glimpse of the young girl. Eventually he put the recording away, in his crate, so that he could watch it again. 

His foot hit something metal that went scattering across the room. Brass. Tidus picked up the piece of metal. Brass. 

_|_

It had been a long time, now. Almost two years, that Tidus had come to stay with the Al Bhed. On one day, he was woken up by a gruff voice that belonged to Keyakku :

"**Kad ib! Oui yna kuehk uh dra Cymyjka Creb du **Luca**!**" [Get up! You are going on the Salvage Ship to Luca!] He said. "**Drao haat cusauha du tu syehdyhla fung.**" [They need someone to do maintenance work.] Keyakku explained. 

And so, Tidus threw everything into a canvas rucksack, and began the trek across the desert. 


	2. Memories of Zanarkand II: Guardian

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Memories of Zanarkand II

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DISCLAIMER: This is a fanfic. It is a fanfic about Final Fantasy X. It is a fanfic because we do not own Final Fantasy X. If we did, in fact own Final Fantasy X, that would defeat the purpose of writing a fanfic, and this would not be an HTML document you read on the Internet. It would be a nice fancy hard cover book, with a blue cover and a black spine with 'Memories of Zanarkand' printed in silver letters across the front, but of course, this is not a published book, it is a fanfic because we do not own Final Fantasy X.

Summary: Part II of 'Memories of Zanarkand' is when Tidus joins Yuna on her pilgrimage. Living with the Al Bhed has not had a very good impact on Tidus's outlook on life. 

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Key:

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Bold - Al Bhed

[ **bold** ] - Al Bhed Translation 

Point of View:

_|_ Tidus

~ Yuna

|^| Wakka

~ * ~ Lulu

/ | \ Auron

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Tidus remembered Zanarkand as he sat on the deck of the Al Bhed salvage ship. He could never go home. This was his home now. 

It had been a year and eight months since he was brought to the Al Bhed ship. He did a lot of tune up work on the machina, and he had a lot of time to think. 

He wasn't the same person he had been almost two years ago, he had few friends, and no one took pity on him anymore. That was good, he didn't need pity. 

"**Xied moehk y nuiht. Drana ec fung du pa tuha!"**

[ **Quit lying around. There is work to be done!** ]

A voice snapped. Tidus knew whose voice it was. It was Brother.   
He kicked a piece of scrap metal on the ground, and continued to work on the machina. It was a giant crane, and Brother was in charge on this ship, they were going to Luca for the Blitzball game. No one believed Tidus when he had told them he was a Blitzball player, he wouldn't be playing. Not today. 

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- - -

Flashback

- - -

"So where are you from?" Rikku asked.

"Zanarkand, Star Blitzball player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

"Oh..." 

Brother and several other Al Bhed began to laugh in the background.

"But it's true!" Tidus protested, although no one would hear him.

- - -

"**Rinno ib!**" Brother snapped. 

[ **Hurry up!** ]

"Shut the fuck up you pansy." Tidus muttered in his own language. He continued working, though quicker than before. 

Rikku had pitied him, before. Sometimes he wondered what would happen if Rikku hadn't pitied him. : :[_Oui fuimt pa tayt._]: :A voice told him, he was thinking in Al Bhed, now too. He was slowly forgetting how to speak his own language. 

Brother liked to make fun of the way he spoke. He would say he sounded like a retard the way he would slowly say the words, and pause for a long time while speaking. 

They arrived in Luca early in the morning. Tidus was instructed to stay on the ship. 

He waited until after they had left before sitting on the rails of the ship, looking out to sea. He wore off white colored baggy pants. He wore a blue shirt, and a faded vest. He had a pair of goggles hanging around his neck, and a bandage on his left arm that started at his wrist and went up to just below his elbow. On his left hand he had a metal glove.

He put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out a Brass ring. He had made it, two years ago, from a piece of metal he had found, but he wasn't really sure why. 

It was later that day that they brought a summoner on board. 

" **Fa'na degerk nad du dra cehldis. **" 

[ **We're taking her to the Sanctum.**] One explained to the other.

Tidus watched as the two Al Bhed roughly escorted the summoner. She was younger that he had expected of a summoner. 

Without any more talk, the summoner was taken inside the ship. 

Tidus glanced at the still broken crane before following them inside. 

- - -

He couldn't help staring at the Summoner. She was so young, the same age he was, and she was already dead. She was on a pilgrimage to Zanarkand, and she would summon the final Aeon, and it would kill her. But there was something about her, He had seen her before, though he wasn't really sure where. 

She didn't say anything, no bribe attempts, no begging to be let out. She looked around her. There was something about this summoner. He stared at her. She had one green eye, and one blue. 

Tidus opened the door to the summoner's cell. There was a loud bang, and the whole ship shook. He steadied the summoner when she lost her balance.

"**Ouin vneahtc yna rana." **

[ **Your friends are here.**] Tidus said. He had been expecting the summoners guardians, however they were not his problem. His job was to work on the machina. 

He heard the sound of the Machina falling apart, and the the sound of the two Al Bhed falling to the ground above, he moved aside, letting the summoner go. He sat down again as if nothing unusual had happened.

"Thank you." She said, with a confused expression on her face, and then ran out. Tidus hadn't expected to see her again. 

- - -

Back Home, at last, Tidus was lying awake in his bunk. He thought about Zanarkand, and about his father, and Auron. 

Auron. Tidus tensed at the thought. He hated Auron, almost as much as he hated his father. 

He rolled onto his side and went to sleep, it was going to be a long day tomorrow and there was going to be a lot of work to do. 

_ | _

It was late in the day, Tidus was using a blowtorch to weld the damaged metal on one of the machina. There was grease on his clothes, on his face, on a once blue hat that he wore on his head. 

"**Oui!**" Another Al Bhed poked him on the shoulder. "**Fa haat oui eh dra cyhldis!**" [**We need you in the sanctum!**]

Tidus turned off the torch, but left his goggles on.

"**Rinno ib!**" The Al Bhed snapped at him. 

"Jackass." Tidus muttered.

It was her. The summoner again, the one from Luca. 

"**Dnyhcmyda.**" It was Brother. He pointed at the summoner. He wanted Tidus to translate.

"I want to talk to Cid." She said in a calm voice, slowly, as if that would help Brother to understand.

"**Fryd tet cra cyo**?" Brother asked. [**What did she say?**]

"**Fro cruimt E damm oui?**" Tidus answered. [**Why should I tell you?**] Brother's brow furrowed, he backhanded Tidus quickly across the face. The summoner had a mixed expression on her face of surprise and concern.

Tidus turned his head and smirked at Brother. 

"**Cra fyhdc dy dymg dy **Cid." Tidus translated. 

"**Fro?" **Brother asked. Tidus turned to the summoner, who looked slightly confused.

"He wants to know why you want to talk to Cid." Tidus said. After almost two years of not speaking his own language, the words came back so easily, he said them with no accent, no mispronunciations. Now the summoner looked very confused.

"I - I was told to seek him out if there was ever any trouble." 

Tidus turned and relayed the message to Brother.

"By who?" Tidus asked.

"My mother... Cid is my uncle." She said. Tidus stared at her for a moment longer, before telling brother what she had said.

Brother immediately started laughing, and the others laughed, too. 

"What's going on?" The summoner asked him.

"They don't believe you." Tidus said, he stepped closer to her, and whispered: "Don't worry, I'll find Cid for you." 

"Thank you." 

But there wasn't any time. The ground began to shake, things began to fall over. The summoner lost her balance, and Tidus reached out a hand to steady her. 

"Yevon!" Brother yelled. 

What happened next, Tidus wasn't sure, But they went of running in different directions. There was a loud crash, and the huge door fell down. 

"Come on, we have to get out of here. **Rinno_!_**" Tidus shouted to the summoner. 

"Lady Yuna." A tall, slightly overweight figure walked into the sanctum. He had blue hair. Tidus raised an eyebrow. "Big surprise, meeting you here." The blue haired, slightly overweight man continued, looking at the summoner.

"Maester Seymour." The summoner, who Tidus assumed was Yuna, narrowed her eyes at the Maester. 

He walked in, grabbed Yuna's arm, and jerked her forward. Tidus picked up a gun from one of the fallen Al Bhed, and held it to Seymour's' forehead.

Seymour turned around, slowly, and Tidus shot his head clean off his shoulders. 

Blood splattered all over Yuna, who let out a kind of startled gasp. 

"**Drad yccruma fyc kuehk dra fnuhk fyo.**" [ **That asshole was going the wrong way**.] He kept his face expressionless, and pried the lifeless hand from Yuna's arm. "Come on, the exit is this way." 

The two ran up a set of stairs, Tidus reached the top before Yuna. There was another explosion, and the stairs gave out, Yuna was falling, and Tidus reached out and grabbed her hand. 

"**Rumt uh**!" [ **Hold on**! ] He shouted, slowly pulling her up. But there wasn't any time. The explosions and crashes were getting worse.

Tidus made his way to the airship, leading Yuna gently by the hand. 

"Tidus!" A firmilar voice said. 

"Rikku." Tidus responded. He tried not to be mean to her, after all, she did save his life, in the beginning. But if she hadn't he would be dead, and it would have been better that way. 

"The summoner wants to speak to Cid." 

"I don't think that's a good Idea right now..." Rikku had a touch of sadness in her voice. "**Fa'na kuehk du pmuf ib '**Home**'.**" [**We're going to blow up 'Home**'.]

Tidus looked at the ground, wondering weather to be happy or sad. 

"We have to hurry up and take off or... you know." Rikku said. 

They barely escaped the explosion, Tidus looked out the window, Smiling and crying as Home was destroyed, thinking all the while that he should have stayed, then he would be dead, forever liberated of the burden of living. But then there was the summoner. He knew he had to save her.

"Yuna!" A woman dressed entirely in black came in. 

"Lulu? Wakka? Kimarahi?" Yuna ran to her guardians. "Sir Auron." 

Tidus turned away trying not to make himself noticeable, suppressing his rage. He left, and went out to the deck of the Airship. Taking off his hat and goggles, as he went.

~

"Do you know where the Al Bhed is?" Yuna asked Rikku.

"Who?"

"The Al Bhed that saved me." She repeated. "I would like to talk to him." 

"Oh, he's probably out on the deck. I'd leave him alone, though, Yunie." Rikku cautioned, but Yuna wasn't listening, she left, and went out onto the deck. It was nighttime, and the sky was beautiful, swirls of stars and constellations.

Then she saw him. He was standing so close to the edge that he looked like he was about to jump.

"Excuse me?" Yuna asked him. He turned his head to face her. His features were kind of hard to make out in the dark, but he had blonde hair and eyes the color blue of the sea just before a storm. He looked a little startled. "You... you saved me, didn't you?" She asked.

"**E tuh'd ihtancdyht** **oui**." He said, feigning confusion, and turned back to the sky. 

"No... you're not wearing the goggles now, but It's you." Yuna insisted. He sighed. 

"I'm Tidus." He said, not looking at her. 

"And I am Yuna." She said. "I want to thank you for saving my life." What happened next, Yuna wasn't sure, but a pained expression came over his face, and there was a long silence.

Eventually Yuna turned and went back inside, It was late and it was getting cold. 

_|_

"I want him to be my Guardian." 

"No way Yuna, He's an Al Bhed." Wakka protested. 

"I don't think you'd want to do that either, Yunie." Rikku said. "He tends to have a lot of 'accidents' while fixing the machina." 

"Serves him right!" Wakka said.

"No, Like once the machina he was working on blew up, or the one time he was almost decapitated. And his _hand_ Yunie, the one he wears the metal glove on? eeewww... It's _disgusting_!" Rikku explained. "And this happens all the time, It's like he's doing it on purpose."

"Why?"  
"I don't know, Yunie." She sighed.

"I agree with Yuna." Auron said. 

"But..." Wakka protested. 

"I'm going to go talk to him." When Yuna turned around, Tidus stood there, staring at her.

"No, Yuna." Wakka said. "Al Bhed heathen." He muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Tidus shifted his gaze from Yuna to Wakka. "** Tebcred**!" He said, flipping him the bird. Wakka threw a punch at him, Tidus moved out of the way, and pressed the cool metal of his gun to Wakka's forehead. 

"Don't." Auron warned. Tidus glared at Auron, before lowering the gun. 

"You see Yuna! He almost killed me!" 

"Really Yunie, are you sure?"

"You're a heathen, too!" Wakka snapped at Rikku. 

"I am not!" Rikku snorted. Yuna ignored them.

"I am going to Bevelle. If you want to, you can come with me." She said. Tidus only nodded, but he didn't turn his head, he kept glaring at Auron. 

_|_

Bevelle. [ _E tuh'd mega drec bmyla._] Tidus stood on the Airship deck, looking down.

"Tidus...?" Rikku walked out on the deck. "Yuna is my cousin... you knew that, didn't you?" Tidus shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I just want you to look after her... you know, make sure she's safe." 

"**E'mm Gaab ran cyva. Pid cra ec y cussun, **Yuna **ec tayt ymnayto.**" [**I'll keep her safe, but she is a summoner, Yuna is dead already.**] He was looking out again, across the sky. [_I can go to Zanarkand... and see if it really is in ruins...._] 

"**E ghuf. . . pid cdemm. . .**" [**I know... but still...**] Rikku sighed. "I can't come with you... but I'll help you out whenever I can." 

The summoners shouldn't have to die, Sin would be reborn again. 

~

"What are you looking for?" Yuna asked Tidus. 

"A way home." He answered without thinking. Yuna stood next to him, though not as close to the edge. 

"I want you to be my guardian." 

"Why?" He asked, looking at her with those piercing blue eyes. His eyes really seemed to stand out, contrasting with his slightly tanned skin, and the numerous black grease stains on his face.

"You saved my life... Besides.. I..." She shook her head. "Never mind." 

"Rikku warned you, didn't she?" Tidus turned to look at Yuna.

"But Sir Auron seems to think it's a good idea." She noticed Tidus tense at the mention of Auron. "Your eyes-" Yuna peered closely at his face. He quickly turned away. "Where are you from?"

_|_

A long pause fell, before Tidus spoke.

"Zanarkand." He said without any emotion, looking back out at the sky. 

Tidus felt that he could trust Yuna... She listened to him anyway. That counted for a lot. There was something about her, though.

"What did Maester Seymour want with you?" 

"He - he wanted to be my Guardian." 

"Isn't that a good thing?" Tidus raised an eyebrow. 

"No -you wouldn't understand..." 

"Try me." 

"Maester Seymour Murdered his father, Maester Jyscal. I refused when he asked to be my Guardian, but..." She sighed. 

The airship landed a short distance away from Bevelle. 

They entered Bevelle, walking slowly, Tidus lingering behind. Bevelle made him remember Zanarkand.

"Yuna.. I don't like this... an Al Bhed coming with us..." Wakka tried his argument again. 

"Enough Wakka." Lulu snapped. "He had saved Yuna's life. We should be grateful, even if he is an Al Bhed, He's proved himself to be a Guardian."

"I... I guess your right... but... I still don't think it's a good idea..." Wakka muttered.

Tidus tried not to look amazed as he entered the temple. 

"We are going to the Cloyster of Trials." Auron said. Tidus followed him, but by a far distance. 

"What the hell is Machina doing in a Temple!" Wakka exclaimed loudly. Tidus pushed past Wakka, took one glance at the board, and began rapidly pressing buttons. The security system was turned off, and the group continued forward. 

"Thank you." Yuna said to him. 

_|_

The Chamber of the Fayth. That strange song... Tidus remembered it from Zanarkand. He closed his eyes, listening to the song, he didn't notice Lulu, Wakka and even Kimiharri looking at him strangely. 

"Where is Summoner Yuna?" A short, bald man demanded. He was accompanied by two guados and two riflemen. 

"Maester Kinoc." Auron said coldly. 

"You are all under arrest for the murder of Maester Seymour!" A guado announced. 

"What!?" Wakka's eyes went wide. 

"Yuna! Stay inside!" Lulu warned, but the warning came too late.

~

Yuna emerged, exhausted, leaning against a pillar for support. 

"Lady Yuna, come with us, you are to be put on trial for the murder of Maester Seymour." 

A rifle clicked, it had been loaded. 

Tidus moved to stand between Yuna and the gun. 

"Sir, I suggest you move or you will be shot." Maester kinoc said. Tidus just smiled.

"Please... They're going to kill you." Yuna begged.

"**Tuac ed Syddan?**" Tidus asked her, his smile faded, sounding unusually calm for someone about to face death.

"This is your final warning!" A guado snapped.

And then the riflemen fired. Two shots that missed their targeted mark - the Heart, and hit him in the shoulder. In response Tidus took out a grenade, used his teeth to pull out the pin, and flung it at the riflemen. His shoulder was bleeding heavily, now. 

Then all hell broke loose. 

Tidus grabbed Yuna's arm and ran in an attempt to escape before the smoke cleared. One of the Guados had been expecting this, he grabbed Yuna and held a knife at her throat. Yuna's hands flew up and tried to pry away the knife. 

"One more move and she dies." 

Tidus stopped.

- - -

_|_

Tidus had been cast into the Via Purifico, where he found Wakka, who did nothing but glare at him. 

"This is all your fault." Wakka snapped.

"Look, I'm not here to start a fight, I want to help Yuna, and we're not going to do that by killing each other." 

"You gotta point there." Wakka bent his head down.

"Then let's find a way out of here." 

"That gun's gonna be no good down there, If we run into fiends, Ya?" Wakka pointed out.

"Yeah, I know." Tidus said.

"Here take this." Wakka gave Tidus a sword, It was blue, and had a black hilt. 

"Thank you." Tidus said, taking the sword.

"That sword belonged to my brother, Chappu. He kinda looked like you. It's funny that an Al Bhed could look so much like my brother." Wakka thought out loud.

"We should go... If we're going to find Yuna." Tidus dove underwater. Wakka followed. 

|^|

They ran into a lot of fiends, attracted to the blood that came from the wound on Tidus shoulder. 

Wakka was surprised to see how Tidus fought in battle.

He had no self - preservation instinct, he was absolutely brutal. He would charge in, hack and slash, and would only be done when every single fiend was dead.

They found a way out, eventually. Where they found Yuna, Auron, Lulu and Kimiharri. 

"Are you all right?" Tidus asked Yuna. She nodded.

"I'll be okay." Yuna told him. 

"What happened?" He asked.

"Sorry to Interrupt." Maester Seymour Guado cut in. 

"Maester Seymour!" Wakka exclaimed. "You're not dead! You can clear our names! Praise be to Yevon!" He paused. "But why did everyone think you were dead in the first place?" 

"Maester Seymour is dead." Yuna looked at Seymour. "He is Unsent." 

"But... But who killed him?" Wakka tried to hide his confusion. 

"I did." Tidus stepped forward.

"_You_! You _killed _a _Maester_! You almost had me fooled! I was thinkin' you weren't so bad, ya? but no, I was right, you are just another Al Bhed heathen!" 

"No... He killed Maester Seymour when he saved me. Maester Seymour... he killed the other Al Bhed..." Yuna tried to explain. 

"I'm here to return the favor." Seymour narrowed his eyes at Tidus. 

"**Oui lym dno**." Tidus smirked. 

"I think you should finish them." Maester Kinoc stepped in front of Seymour, who shoved a knife in his back. Kinoc fell over, dead.

Seymour barely had time to dodge as Tidus, the heathen, flew at him. 

"What now, Sir Auron?" Wakka sighed, shaking his head. 

"I will fight... I made a promise to Jecht. " He said, brandishing his sword. "And you?" Yuna nodded. Lulu nodded. Kimiharri nodded. 

"I can't believe this is happening." Wakka muttered. 

"Believe." Lulu said.

~

By the time Seymour flung Tidus into a nearby wall with a spell, The fight was already over. With Tidus out of the way, he focused his next attack on Yuna. Tidus found the strength to get up. He threw himself between Yuna and the attack. 

It was Auron that delivered the final blow.

Tidus collapsed. Yuna ran to him. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?" 

"I... I can hear you." 

"You could have been killed." Auron said, without emotion. 

"**Tuac ed Syddan?**" Tidus choked out. Yuna wondered what he meant. He had used that phrase before. 

She raised her staff, and cast a healing spell on Tidus. 

He stood up, Slowly. 

"We should leave now... before the others come." 

"Let me do a sending..." Yuna said.

_|_

Auron backed away, collapsed, and pyreflies rose up. Tidus looked unconcerned. He knew what was happening. 

When Yuna's sending was over, Auron slowly got up, and the group fled, heading for Macalania woods. 

"**Tayt syh fymgehk!**" He called out to Auron. [ **Dead man walking!** ]

"Do I want to know what you just said?" 

Tidus smirked, and continued walking. 

~

Macalania woods was quiet, and peaceful. Yuna had climbed into one of the giant trees that overlooked a lake.

It had been an awful day... her pilgrimage had been difficult enough, but now they were considered traitors, and for all that she had given up for them! 

"There is a saying among my people." Tidus effortlessly climbed through the branches. "When things have gotten as bad as they could possibly get, the only thing left for them to do is get better." 

Yuna knew he was trying to comfort her, but she still couldn't help felling a little sad. 

"Do you want me to go?" He asked. 

"No... no, you can stay if you want." Yuna wasn't looking at him, though. She was looking into the sky, at the moon. He sat down next to her, though she couldn't see him, She knew he was looking at the night sky, too. 

"It would be nice... to bring the eternal calm, no more Sin, and maybe the Fayth... they must be tired of dreaming, tired of fighting, maybe they can finally rest." 

"I guess." Yuna turned to look at him. 

"I - I'm just trying to say that I respect what your doing, and I don't know if I'd be able to do the same." 

"Your eyes..." Yuna stared at him once more. There was something about his eyes. He didn't have the swirled pupils of an Al Bhed. And he was from Zanarkand... "You aren't Al Bhed... are you...?" 

Silence.

_|_

Tidus wondered if he should tell her the truth. Probably wouldn't matter. He would always look like an Al Bhed to everyone else.

"No..." He said. "They found me in the Baaj temple ruins almost two years ago. I told them I was from Zanarkand. I played for the Zanarkand Abes. They thought that was funny as hell.... If They hadn't taken me in, I'd be dead." Tidus stopped to look at Yuna, who was thinking, before he continued. "So I learned their language, and mostly I would just work on the machina, but... I was never really their equal." He told this story with such anger in his voice. 

"I understand now." Yuna said. 

Tidus suppressed the sudden urge to shout: 'Well I don't! They save my life and then treat me like shit for the next two years because I should be grateful to them! It would have been better if they let me die that day!' But, he kept his mouth closed tight, grinding his teeth. That was what he usually did, to keep himself from saying something stupid. 

He felt the pain in his left arm again. 

- - -

__

Flashback

- - -

"**Kad dra vilgehk fung, tuha drah oui lyh ayd!**" [ **_Get the fucking work done, then you can eat! _**] _Brother shouted at Tidus. _

Tidus Blitzball uniform had worn out long ago, The clothes he wore now were mostly torn, he would need new clothes, soon. He had been working on an ancient airship for the last two days, without being allowed to eat or sleep. He had been with the Al Bhed for two months... or at least he thought it was two months, It had seemed like longer. 

Brother turned his back, and left the area, Tidus grabbed a knife he had been working with in his right hand, and in rage and frustration, he took the blade to his left arm, making a deep cut. There, the pain seemed better now. 

Blood oozed down his arm, and he bit his lip to keep from crying. That was it. He deserved it. Tidus had always been a selfish crybaby, It was his fault. In morbid fascination, he tugged at the skin with his hand, causing more blood to ooze out.

Auron brought him here. 

"**E rydia **Auron!" [ **_I hate Auron!_** ]_He shouted, but there was no one there to hear him. _

/ | \

Auron sat on a log, with his back to the fire. This wasn't supposed to happen. Tidus was not supposed to have been picked up by the Al Bhed. 

He was different from that crybaby kid he had helped raise, he had a lot of anger.

Auron was surprised by this boy who had grown so much in the last two years. He could hold his own in a battle, and had a stronger sense of duty. Tidus hated him, but he did not know why. He didn't really care, anyway. 

It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he would do his job as a guardian. 

~

"Sir Jecht, he was from Zanarkand." Yuna said. 

"Jecht? He disappeared ten years ago." Tidus said. "Jecht was my father." 

"But that was when he came to us - ten years ago." 

"So he's famous here, too?"

"My mother was an Al Bhed." Yuna told Tidus. "Everyone was surprised when my father married her." She paused. 

"**Oui fa'na uha uv dra milgo uhac.**" He muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." 

"What did you say?" Yuna asked, she didn't sound mean.

"It's nothing." Tidus got up, and began to climb down.

"I believe you!" She called after him.

"About what?" Tidus asked.

"About _your _Zanarkand!" She said. 

"You're the only one that does." He told her, before walking away. 

"Wait...I'll go back with you." Yuna began to climb down. She didn't see the Chimera lurking in the shadows.

_|_

It happened all at once, The chimera lunged at Tidus first, and he was quick to dodge. The thing managed to tear at his arm, and the bandage had come undone. Then Yuna summoned an Aeon. 

Tidus tried not to gape as Valefor flew down from the skies, answering Yuna's call. Then the Aeon quickly disposed of the Chimera. 

Valefor was dismissed after the Chimera dissolved into several pyreflies. 

"Are you all right?" She asked him, smiling. He nodded, Still amazed at the thing she had done. He had heard of Aeons, but he never before saw one summoned. "Your arm!" Yuna gasped. 

His left arm was bloody, some of the old cuts had been re - opened. He reached for the bandage on the ground, but Yuna was already inspecting the wound. 

"When did you get all these scars?" She asked. Yuna had a light touch, the pain was going away. "Did you get these while working on the machina?"

He didn't want to tell her where he got his scars. 

"The first few months with the Al Bhed." He said without emotion. 

"Did they hurt you?" She sounded concerned.

"No." He refused to look at the bloody mess on his arm. "No, I gave myself those scars the first year I was with the Al Bhed." 

Yuna let go of his arm, and Tidus turned away from her, and he began to bandage his arm again. 

"Why?" 

"I knew where the pain came from." His face hardened, before he walked away. 

"I'm sorry." He heard Yuna whisper softly. 

silence. 

Too close. He couldn't get too close to her... Anyone that was close to him wound up dead or disappeared. She was a summoner. She would fight sin, Summon the final Aeon, and then she would be dead. It would just be better for everyone if he didn't get too close...

He continued walking, and his feet became heavier and heavier, until he stopped, waiting for Yuna.

~

Yuna stayed behind, unsure. Maybe she should have listened to Rikku and Wakka. 

"I prefer to only injure myself." Tidus said. For a moment, Yuna felt guilty for thinking such things. "I think sometimes I overreact. I went from being the star Blitzball player... popular and liked to being a fucking servant boy." 

Yuna shook her head. "But it couldn't have been that bad." 

Tidus said nothing, he was doing that thing again, where he would grind his teeth together. "I shouldn't have said anything. **E fyc fnuhk ypuid oui**." He looked off into space again. "**Cra fyc fnuhk du syga sa ran Kiynetyh**." He said to himself. 

"No." Yuna said. "No I wasn't." 

She remembered that her mother had taught her a little Al Bhed, though she was young and had forgotten most of it. 

"**Oui yna duu rynt uh ouicamv**." Yuna said, though she said the words very slow, and mispronounced them, she knew Tidus had understood her because he was staring at her. However, her small comprehension of the Al Bhed language ended there. 

_|_

Tidus was somewhat shocked. 

"I only remember a little Al Bhed... what my mom taught me." Yuna explained. 

"They'll be worried about you... we should be heading back." Tidus hung his head. Yuna nodded, and they began walking. 

Yuna's hand eventually found its way into his. It was then Tidus realized that she wasn't dead. Yuna was very much alive.

~ * ~

"Yuna." Lulu stood up as Tidus and Yuna approached. The fire she had built was now a little more than a few glowing embers. "We were getting worried." 

"I'm sorry to worry you." Yuna paused. "We're going to the calm lands tomorrow... Unless something has changed?"

"No, nothing has changed. We go tomorrow then." Lulu sat down, glancing at Tidus. This Al Bhed boy looked a lot like Chappu. She wondered If Wakka had noticed it also. "The Calm lands tomorrow..." She said to herself. "I'm not going to make the same mistake." Lulu told herself firmly. 

_|_

Tidus looked out at the plains that spread before him - Endless plains that were the calm lands. He had never seen anything like this before. 

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Yuna asked him. Tidus nodded. "In ancient times, Summoners would battle Sin here." 

The group began their trek through the Calm Lands, Tidus would turn to look at Yuna every so often. Sometimes she would just stare out into space, but he knew why. She was saying goodbye, to the places she would never see again. 

[_I won't let her die. _] Tidus promised himself. [_I'll find a way..._] 

"There is a store up ahead. We can rest there." Lulu announced. 

"Come on." Yuna said encouragingly to Tidus. "It's only a little farther." She smiled. Tidus moved to follow her, but Auron blocked his path, letting the others go ahead.

"There is something I should tell you." Auron said in an emotionless voice.

"Get out of my way." Tidus said, grinding his teeth.

"Sin is-" 

"**GET OUT OF MY WAY!**" He shouted. Everyone stopped. "It's all _your _fault I'm here in the first place! **Oui vilgehk pycdyht! **Leave me alone for once!" His face was red from anger as he pushed Auron aside. 

Auron stumbled.

"Strong." He muttered, regaining his balance.

~

Yuna continued forward, Glancing at Tidus every so often. He was grinding his teeth, muttering Al Bhed curses under his breath. 

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He said, too quickly. He was trying very hard not to show his anger, too hard, perhaps. He walked in front of her, and Yuna carefully placed a shaking hand on his shoulder. 

"Why do you hate Sir Auron so?" She asked him. Tidus seemed to relax a little under her touch.

"Auron brought me here. Auron showed up when my father disappeared. My mom died, because dad disappeared. She just gave up on living..." He was staring off into the distance. "I am sorry, Yuna." 

Silence

"It will be getting dark soon. We should hurry." 

~

"Yes... We have a few rooms available..." The shopkeeper said to Lulu.

"Thank you." Lulu said, turning and nodding to the rest of the group.

They started inside, but Yuna stopped when she saw Tidus stay behind, watching the sunset. A cool breeze ruffling his hair. 

"What are you thinking about?" She approached him.

"**Drehkc E tih'd ihtancdyht**." He answered. "I have a terrible pain in my heart." 

"I know." Yuna stood next to him. "I have it, too." 

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Wakka interrupted. 

"Is there something wrong, Wakka?" Yuna asked, turning around to face her guardian.

"I was jus' worryin' because you were out here all by yourself, Ya?" Wakka was glaring at Tidus.

|^|

"Tidus is here with me." Yuna said quietly.

"Al Bhed heathen." Wakka grumbled. But Yuna either didn't hear, or pretended not to. Tidus certainly did. Or so he thought.

The Al Bhed tensed, his gaze unshifting from Wakka as he drew Chappu's' sword

Yuna stared at Wakka with a look of horror on her face. 

"Don't Move." Tidus said in a calm voice to them. A shadow passed aver Wakka. 

"Behind you!" Lulu shouted.

"Huh?" Wakka turned around. He squinted to see the giant figure blocking out the sun. It looked like a Marlborough, only bigger. It was huge, probably ten feet tall. Maybe more. 

Wakka gave a startled shout, and that's all he could remember before everything went black.

_|_

Wakka fell, and the fiend rounded on the next closest thing - Yuna. Tidus tightened his grip on the sword, and lept forward, slicing the Marlborough clean in half. 

The fiend quickly disappeared in a flurry of pyreflies. 

"Has anyone been injured?!" The shopkeeper asked, startled. Getting up from the hiding place behind her desk.

"Wakka." Lulu knelt down beside Wakka, shaking him gently. "Yuna, can you heal him?" She asked.

Yuna tired a spell. Nothing happened. She tried every spell she could think of until she was so exhausted. she could barely stand. 

Auron shook his head. 

Yuna staggered, managing to sit down. Tidus then knelt across from Lulu, next to Wakka. He held the back of his hand on Wakka's forehead. 

"The Sickness." Tidus muttered.

"Is Wakka... Dead?" Lulu asked.

"No." He answered.

"What is the 'Sickness'?" Yuna asked.

"The Sickness is very rare. There is no magic that can cure it, Marlborough carry the poison. My people had invented an Antidote for it, but it takes time to prepare." Tidus explained. "Wakka will die either within a few hours or maybe a day or two if he doesn't take the antidote." 

"Can you make the antidote?" The look in Yuna's eyes as she asked the question troubled him. 

"Yes, but like I said, It takes time."

"Then make the antidote." Lulu told Tidus.

~

Tidus removed a canvas flap attached to his belt, and rolled it out on the floor of the room. It contained various odds and ends. Yuna watched carefully as he selected several vials, a glass jar, and some kind of dried desert flower. 

He began to grind the flower in a stone dish.

"Have you ever done this before?" Yuna asked in a shaky voice.

"Once."

"Did the antidote work?"

"Yes." Tidus answered. Yuna sighed. It was almost a sigh of relief. :: Wakka is not going to die : : she assured herself. 

Tidus lined up the vials, and began pouring them into the bowl. Careful, slow amounts.

"What's this?" Yuna asked, pointing to a vial.

"Rum." Tidus answered. "Can you hand me that?" He jerked his chin at a jar that looked to be filled with water, but it made a horrible hissing noise when it hit the mixture. A billowy, black cloud of smoke rose up, and Tidus waved around his hands, fanning the smoke, coughing. 

Yuna laughed a little. A real laugh, and she looked at Tidus, who did something unexpected, he smiled. It was a thin smile, like he was trying not to, but his eyes were laughing. 

"What was it like in Zanarkand?" Yuna asked, as Tidus quickly continued working.

"There were huge buildings." He started. "And a Sphere where we played Blitzball. At night when the sun went down, all the windows were lit up, and the light danced in the streets. People would have parties, and play loud music." 

"In the middle of the night?" Yuna asked him. Tidus nodded.

"And then the lights would go out, one by one, and the sun would come up, over the water, the waves would roll in, shimmering with sunlight..." He trailed off.

"Do you think about Zanarkand a lot?" Yuna asked after a long pause.

"All the time." 

_|_

Tidus continued working, It's wasn't so much that he wanted to prevent Wakka from dying, He was doing it for Yuna. She would blame herself if he died, Tidus knew, for not being able to heal him.

"How long... once he takes the antidote?" 

"Sometimes a few minutes, sometimes longer. Weeks, months." He glanced at Yuna. She was staring off into space, with a faraway look. "I'll have to boil the mixture, then it has to sit for a few hours before it cools." Tidus explained. He got up, and moved to the window. "I'm sorry that this happened." He said. "It wasn't your fault." 

Silence.

"Wakka's been like an older brother to me..." Yuna said, looking down at the floor. "I don't know what would happen if..."

"It's not going to happen." Tidus said in a reassuring voice, turning to look at her. "You're tired. You should get some rest." 

Yuna gave him a small smile, before getting up, and leaving the room. 

_|_

The Antidote was almost done cooling, and it was late. He wasn't sure how late, but the moon was high in the sky, so Tidus assumed somewhere between midnight or one in the morning. 

There was a gentle knock at the door. 

"Yuna?" He whispered. Slowly the door opened, and Yuna appeared. 

"I- I couldn't sleep."

"I'm almost done." Tidus said. He began putting Vials back in the canvas flap. A small candle lit the room. 

"Are you okay...?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. "

"Wakka is okay... for now." Yuna said, mostly to fill the silence. "Lulu is with him." She continued. Tidus nodded in response. 

"It's all done." He carefully poured the contents of the stone bowl into a vial. 

"Thank you." Yuna said, taking the vial.

"Make sure it doesn't touch your skin." Tidus warned. "Wakka must swallow all of it." 

Yuna nodded, and left.

_|_

It was early, dark, and Tidus was sleeping. He was sitting in a chair, his head atop a wooden table. 

"Wake up!" A soft whisper. 

"Yuna? Is there something wrong?" Tidus quickly got up.

"No... nothing's wrong... I just wanted to show you something." Yuna was smiling. Tidus tried not to look confused. "Come see!" Yuna said. She grabbed his hand, and led him outside.

It was dark, the sky was growing lighter. Then the sun came. A reddish pink color, casting waves of light on the grass of the plains that were being gently swayed by the wind. 

"I saw a sunrise here once, when I was little." Yuna said. 

"Have you always wanted to be a summoner?" Tidus asked, after a pause.

"Yes." Yuna answered. "Though sometimes, I am afraid." 

"Afraid of dying?" 

"No." Yuna shook her head. "I am not afraid of dying... but I am afraid of leaving something behind." 

~

They stood there, watching the sun come up. 

Tidus hadn't asked her what she meant, Yuna knew he understood. She would sometimes wonder what was meant by 'Gone but not forgotten'. The dead are always forgotten. But... for a time, they live on in the memories of the living. But then the living die, and there is no one left. 

"Do you fear death?" 

"No." Tidus answered. He said nothing else.

Yuna wasn't sure how long they had been standing there, but the skies had clouded over, and it began to rain. 

"We should go in." Yuna told Tidus. 

~ * ~

It was late in the day, and Lulu was tired. She had stayed up all night, watching over Wakka. She made sure he had taken the antidote, and while his face looked less pale, there was no sign of him stirring. 

"Kimiharri." Lulu said to the Rhonso standing at the far corner of the room. "Come get me if... he wakes up, or something happens." 

Kimiharri nodded, and Lulu left the room. She heard a muffled sound coming from Yuna's room. She knocked softly on the door. 

"Yuna?" She said, carefully pushing the door open. Yuna was sitting on her bed, and though she wiped at her face, it was obvious she had been crying. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm fine." Yuna nodded, smiling. 

"Where's Tidus? Wasn't he with you earlier?" 

"He went for a walk I think." 

"Oh. Well when he gets back, tell him we all said thank you. Wakka hasn't woke up yet, but he looks a lot better." 

"I'll do that." Yuna said. Lulu nodded, and closed the door. 

:: _Going for a walk in fiend infested plains.... _:: She thought to herself. 

_|_

Another fiend dissipated in a flurry of pyreflies. 

:: _I can't get too close..._:: Tidus thought to himself. And that was it. He made his decision. 

Tidus was a little bloody, nothing too serious. There was a deep gash on the side of his head, but it was okay. He stopped feeling the pain hours ago. The sun was setting when he started to make his way back. 

It didn't matter, he realized, as he saw Yuna waiting for him. This pain he had... he couldn't ignore it anymore.

"Are you okay?" She rushed to him, examining his wounds. Tidus nodded, and managed a small smile. "I tried to heal Wakka... I thought maybe it would help." 

"He will live, and he will wake..." He told her.

~

~ * ~

Wakka hadn't moved or said anything, but his breathing was steady. 

Lulu stood at the far corner of the room, where Wakka was recovering. 

"Yuna? Is that you?" Lulu heard the door open. Yuna stepped inside.

"It's me." Yuna said.

"Are you all right? You should be resting." Lulu stood in front of a window, she turned her head to talk to Yuna. 

"I'm fine. How is Wakka?"

"He's going to be okay... It's just a matter of when he wakes up." 

"What do you think about Tidus?" Yuna asked her.

"The Al Bhed? He seems nice enough. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." 

"He has good intentions, I think. He is very quiet... antisocial, I guess." Lulu paused. "He seemed to warm up to you, though." She added.

"Does he remind you of Chappu?" Yuna asked.

"A little. He looks like him, but other than that, not at all." Lulu answered.

"I see."

"You like him, don't you?" Lulu asked. Yuna blushed slightly. "Remember your pilgrimage, Yuna." Lulu cautioned, turning back to the window. 

She heard the door close shut when Yuna left. Lulu sighed. This would not be a happy ending, for any of them. 

~

"It's late." Yuna said to Tidus. He was sitting outside, looking at the moon, It was full, and there was a red ring around it. 

"Trouble not far behind." He said, looking at the moon. A ring around it was a sign of trouble not far behind. Yuna put a hand on his shoulder. 

"I know." She said. "Do you think Maester Seymour is looking for us?"

"It's likely." Tidus answered. Yuna sat down next to him. "Why do you suffer?" He asked her. How had he known? She tried so hard to hide it. 

"Everyone has pain." Yuna said. "I will summon the final Aeon, and I'll die, but then the calm will come, and peace will come to Spira. But, Sin will be reborn. They called me a tratior. It's like they don't care about what I'm giving up. I was still a little girl when my father... fought Sin. I want to help Spira... and If I die..." She shook her head. "Everyone dies someday. Either I do nothing, or I die making a difference. For however long it lasts." 

_|_

She was strong - willed. Tidus admired her for that. She kept going when those she was trying to protect turned their backs on her. It was something he would never be able to do himself. 

Yuna cried, silent tears. And there was nothing he could do, except hold her in his arms, for however long she was there to hold. 

~

It had been three weeks, since Wakka had been afflicted by the Sickness. That morning, Yuna stood with Tidus, watching the sun come up. 

It was Auron that came to get them, They went to the room where Wakka had been recovering, and Lulu was helping him sit up. 

"He is very weak... but he is all right." Lulu told them, then she looked at Tidus. "Thank you." She said. 

They started heading for Gagazet later that day, When Wakka found the strength to move. They weren't moving very quickly. Wakka slowed them down. 

The group stumbled on a stadium, used as a training ground for crusaders. The man that ran the stadium said he had a few extra rooms, and allowed them to spend the night. 

When they had to share a room, Tidus insisted on Yuna sleeping in the bed, and he slept on the floor. She felt guilty after a while, and lied down next to him, even though he was already asleep. 

_|_

Tidus woke up early, as usual. He tried to move his arm, and when it wouldn't move, he turned his head, and saw Yuna resting her head on his arm, sleeping peacefully.

He moved slowly, rolling up his blanket to place under her head. Yuna stirred, but went back to sleep. It was a strange feeling that he had in his heart. A pain, a relief, he couldn't name. There were no words to describe. 

"I'm not going to let you die, Yuna." Tidus whispered to her. He rose to his feet, and left quietly, not making a sound as he left the room. 

~ * ~

"How is Wakka?" Tidus asked Lulu. 

"Wakka is all right, I don't know if we'll make it very far today, though." She responded. There was a silence before Lulu spoke again. "Yuna... she seems to trust you." He said nothing in response. "She's like a little sister to me." Lulu went on. "All I'm trying to say is, please, Guard her well, as we would. Do you understand?" 

"I understand." He said. 

"Good morning, Lulu." Yuna said, with that smile on her face. She stood next to Tidus. "How is Wakka?" 

"He'll be all right." Lulu told her. 

"Are we ready to go?" Auron asked. 

"Sir Auron!" Yuna said, in greeting. "We're waiting for Wakka." 

"Well, we should wake him up, we're wasting time." He said, coldly. Tidus was glaring at him. 

"Wakka was almost dead yesterday, We wait for him." Tidus spoke to Auron in a harsh tone. 

"Kimaharri wait." Kimiharri crossed his arms, and stood tall, his tail twitching. Auron said nothing, he stood as before, expressionless. Lulu was relieved, she knew Wakka was really in no condition to be traveling at all. It was good that they didn't have to wait very long for Wakka. He came out from his room, limping a little, and moving slowly, but he looked a lot better than he did the day before. 

So they thanked the owner of the Stadium, and left. 

_|_

"Zanarkand is on the other side." Yuna told Tidus as they approached Mount Gagazet. 

"I know." He said sadly. Tidus reached for her hand, and they walked across the bridge. 

"We have orders to take you to Maester Seymour!" A guado blocked their path. Auron was leading them, he drew his sword. Yuna and Tidus were in the back. Tidus drew his sword, and held out his arm in front of Yuna. 

"We won't go willingly." Auron said. 

"I warn you... Maester Seymour doesn't need you alive!" The guado said. And there was a loud rumble. 

It was a machina. Tidus had seen this kind before, he used to work on them. 

The machina went after Auron first, who swung at it. Tidus took this opportunity to get behind the thing. He jammed his sword into the back of the machina, and used the sword to pull himself up. 

There is was a tiny panel at the top. Tidus smashed the panel open with his left fist, the hand with the metal glove. He really needed a wratchet of some kind, but he didn't have a tool box handy. 

"What's he doing?" He heard Wakka ask Yuna. 

The machina began to sway back and forth, hitting Tidus with its fists. 

"Tidus!" Yuna cried. "I'll summon!" 

"No, Yuna!" Lulu advised. "If you summon, there is a chance that the Aeon may... injure him." 

"I'm not going to just stand here!" She said. Auron swung again at the Machina that staggered closer to a cliff. 

Tidus reached in, and pulled out a handful of wires, he yelled as an electric shock spread through his body. He fell, hitting the ground hard. 

The Machina staggered again, sending off electric shocks. Yuna bolted. 

"No Yuna!" Lulu called. Too late. Kimiharri ran after her, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Tidus!" Yuna was shaking him. The machina began to fall. Tidus quickly opened his eyes. He took her up in his arms, and leaped off the edge, into the ford below. 

Tidus held onto her, as they fell below, moving underneath her so that he took most of the impact. 

/ | \

The Guados bolted. The others rushed to the ford, going around, and below the bridge. 

Auron found Yuna there, kneeling beside Tidus, who was sprawled around on the ground.

"Tidus! Please wake up!" She called to him.

"He will be fine." Auron said in a flat tone. "He is merely stunned."

And with those words, Tidus groaned, he got on his hands and knees, and leaning on Yuna, his feet. 

~ *~

"What is this place?" Yuna asked Lulu. She stood at the mouth of the cave. The same cave that...

"Go on, Yuna. The Fayth is inside. As are the fiends." Lulu said.

"Lu? is something wrong?"

"My summoner, on my first pilgrimage... died here." She told them. Then, to Yuna: "Go on. Do what you came here to do." 

Yuna nodded, and walked into the cave. Tidus was not far behind. Lulu knew that Tidus would die before so much as a single hair on Yuna's head was harmed. Lulu assured herself that she was not going to repeat the same mistake again. 

/ | \

Tidus didn't care weather he lived or died anymore - Auron could see that. Tidus couldn't die - not by ordinary means, anyway. Now, though, It was different. He looked more alive than he had been when Auron first saw him on the Airship.

_|_

The caves were long and winding, Tidus found it hard to find his way around. 

"Why would a Fayth have Fiends in its temple?" Wakka asked. 

"Because this Fayth was taken from its temple long ago." Lulu spoke, looking down. 

"Without the Fayth, summoners cannot call forth Aeons, and without Aeons they cannot train." Auron explained.

"**Yht fedruid dnyhehk drao lyhhud cissuh dra vehym Yauh.**" [**And Without Training, They cannot summon the final Aeon.**] Tidus said. In a way he was glad that no one could understand him.

~ * ~

It was here they came to the end of the cave. A figure stood there, waiting for them 

"Is you Lady Ginnem!" Lulu called out. The figure responded angrily with a flash of red. "Of course. You are beyond human suffering, now." Lulu said. "Forgive me. I was too young. Let perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian." 

And so, they fought Lady Ginnem.

"It is strange." Lulu said, when they had won the battle. "I thought It would be sadder somehow." 

~

They stayed that night in the forge where Tidus and Yuna had fallen. The fire had eventually gone out, and everyone was sleeping. Tidus sat alone, thinking. Yuna knew he was thinking about Zanarkand again. 

"Do you wish you could go back?" She asked. 

"Sometimes." He said. "But then I think...of you... and I think I'll stay a while longer. But, still.... to go home." He hung his head. "I'll go home someday." 

! | !

"Maester Seymour! Lady Yuna is dead." Mesoes, a Guado reported to Seymour. 

"Did you see her die?" Seymour asked, sitting back in his chair. 

"No... I saw her fall, Lady Yuna and one of her guardians fell off a cliff." 

"Which Guardian?" 

"I don't know sir - I didn't get his name. The Al Bhed." Mesoes described. 

"They are both dead? You are certain?" Seymour got up from his chair. 

"Yes. I saw them." Mesoes was looking a little nervous. "Is everything all right, Sir?" 

"You have done your job well." 

"What about the other guardians?" 

"They are no concern of mine." Seymour walked away, leaving the large room.

Seymour stopped on the staircase, looking at the portrait of his father, smirking. "You knew the entire time didn't you?" He asked the portrait. "You knew what would happen." 

~

On Gagazet they stopped again, Wakka had started to slow down, complaining of headaches. Yuna tried to hide her worry. 

"He will be fine. The antidote, it is slow to work." Tidus explained to Yuna.

! | !

"Something is not right." Seymour insisted. "Lady Yuna is still alive." 

"How do you know?" Mesoes asked. 

"Everyone would know, by now. Someone would have found her, or whatever was left of her after that fall, all of Spira would know." 

"Well, maybe no one recognized her?" Mesoes tried. 

"It's been a week. If she survived, she would most likely be on Gagazet. I'm going myself this time." 

~

_A short walk, just for a little while_, Yuna said to herself. It was cold on the mountain. _It isn't fair for either of us. _She thought. _He can't love me, and I can love him. I can't just quit on my pilgrimage, now. For Spira. We can never be together...._Yuna told herself. A lake, frozen with ice spread before her. _We'll never be together.... _

She walked out onto the lake. The Ice was thick. It would probably be faster to cut across the lake to get back without going around. 

Yuna heard a small noise, like the sound of glass cracking. The Ice was breaking. Yuna stopped moving. When the sound had stopped, she began to step to the side, when the ice caved in. She screamed. The sudden shock of the cold water reached her. Yuna sank below the surface, she fought to get up again. The water was so cold... 

"Someone help me please!" But her cry was weak, no one heard her. She sank again. Yuna never really was a very strong swimmer, she could swim, but it wasn't the same thing. Once more she came up to the surface. "Help!" She said, but in a voice no louder than a whisper. Yuna sank, this time she couldn't fight her way back up. The water was so cold...

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted. 

_|_

"Yuna!" Tidus dug furiously at the ice, wiping away the snow. There she was, her hands pressed against the ice, her eyes open, looking at him. Tidus balled his left hand into a fist, the one with the metal glove, and broke a hole in the ice. He widened the e hole a little, before reaching in to grab Yuna's hand. 

Tidus pulled Yuna out, who was shivering. 

"Are you all right?" He asked her. Yuna nodded, shivering. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her warm. He took off his vest, wrapping that around her. "Stay awake... Don't go to sleep." Tidus said, picking her up gently. 

~ * ~

"What happened!" Lulu exclaimed, when she saw Tidus come up carrying a half awake Yuna. 

"She fell through the Ice." Tidus said. "We need to get her warm." 

"Of course." Lulu said. "This way." 

~

"I'm just as bad as Wakka now." Yuna spoke in a weak voice. She was lying down on a small mattress on the floor of a Rhonso cave. 

"You'll be fine." Tidus said, he was sitting beside her, smiling. 

"Thank you... for pulling me out." Yuna said. Her hand found it's way into his. 

"Yuna...?" Wakka came in, followed by Lulu and Auron. "You all right, ya?" 

"Yes. I'll be fine." Yuna sat up. Tidus let go of her hand. "Shouldn't you be lying down, Wakka?" 

"I'm okay... I just get a little dizzy if I get up too fast." 

"What happened?" Auron asked her. 

"I was just going for a walk, but I slipped and fell through the ice. If Tidus hadn't gotten me out..." 

"Why were you out alone?" Auron demanded. Yuna looked down. 

"I'm sorry." She said. 

"She doesn't need a lecture, Auron." Tidus stood up to face him. They stood, Tidus glaring at him, before Auron turned and left. Tidus left, soon after that, but Yuna was busy talking to Lulu, and didn't see him go. 

| ^ |

"What you doin' out here ya? It's cold out, getting late." Wakka said to Tidus, who was sitting on the ground, hunched over, staring out into space. "Hey, listen." Wakka said to him. Tidus turned around to face him. 

"What?" He said, not in a mean voice, just untrusting.

"I wanna thank you, I mean... for helping Yuna. And... I guess you kinda helped me out to, ya?" Wakka said slowly, scratching the back of his head. Tidus turned his head back again. "And I'm sorry. I guess I didn't know everything about the Al Bhed. You ain't so bad." He said.

"It's okay." Tidus shrugged. "I get angry at the followers of Yevon, sometimes, too. For what they did to us." He got up, then added. "Shouldn't you be lying down? you don't look so good." Before walking away, probably to see Yuna. 

/ | \

Auron watched Tidus from the door frame. He was sitting next to Yuna, speaking softly. Auron never knew that Tidus was capable of this level of concern. He was so different now, so willing to give up his life so that someone else could live on. Sighing, Auron left the small room. 

~

"Zanarkand... Is on the other side." Yuna said to Tidus, though she wasn't looking at him. 

"I know." came the reply. 

"And there... I'll obtain the final Aeon." 

"I know." 

"If I don't defeat Sin, someone else must. Sin must be defeated, the people suffer." 

"I know." Tidus said, softly. "Do you ever think of your own happiness?" He asked. Yuna was a little surprised at his question.

"I must go on with my pilgrimage." Yuna indirectly answered the question, choosing her words carefully. "Why did you ask me that question?" Yuna turned her head to look at him. 

"Always thinking of others... but never yourself." He turned his head away from her. "Can you come somewhere with me?" Tidus asked, after a pause, facing her again.

Yuna got up, she was no longer cold. Tidus took her hand, and they left the cave. 

Snow fell softly on the ground, shining in the moonlight. Tidus dropped something metal into Yuna's hand. 

_A ring_... Yuna thought, looking down at her hand. It was made from brass, but it had been so well polished that it shone like gold. She closed her fingers around the small treasure, Yuna knew what the ring meant. The ring she held in her hand was a wedding band, the Al Bhed made rings from brass. She looked up at Tidus, and nodded. Holding out her hand with the ring, resting on her palm. Tidus took the ring, carefully, and slipped it on her ring finger.

Holding up their hands, Yuna laced her fingers through his. Tidus gently kissed her, and put his other arm around her.

"**E muja oui.**" He spoke, in a voice no louder than a whisper. 

_|_

More snow began to come down, thicker than before. It was hard to see. Yuna and Tidus ducked into a nearby cave, waiting out the storm. Yuna leaned against him, she was cold. Tidus put his arms around her, and kissed her. Someday she would summon the final Aeon, and leave this world. But that was not tonight. Tonight she was his, and they cast no shadow, not in the dark. 

* * *


	3. Memories of Zanarkand III: Dream

__

Memories of Zanarkand 

III

________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X is a great game. You should go out and buy it. **Right now**. Unfortunately I don't own it. Nor am I in any way affiliated with Squaresoft or any other games Squaresoft had released. 

Author(s) Note:

[Koyoko] Last chapter. As in 'The End'. Expect no Epilogue. Expect no Sequel. This… is… the… end. Toodles. 

________________________________________________________________________

~ * ~

"Where's Yuna?" Lulu asked Wakka. "She wasn't in her room!" 

"Tidus isn't here either." Auron said, emotionless. "They're probably together, wherever they are. I wouldn't worry too much." 

_|_

Tidus ran his fingers through Yuna's hair. He felt her stir against his chest. She woke up slowly, kissing his cheek. 

"We should be getting back... they will worry about me." She said. 

~ * ~

"Yuna!" Lulu exclaimed. "We were worried." 

"Were ready to go." Wakka told Yuna. "When you are, I mean."

Yuna looked back at Tidus, who gave a solemn nod. 

"I'm ready." She said. 

~

They started down the mountain, all of them quiet. Tidus lagged behind a little, Yuna right beside him. 

Tidus stopped suddenly when he heard footsteps behind him. 

"What is it?" Yuna asked. She turned around when she heard the noise, and let out a gasp. Tidus whirled around to face Seymour, who stood a few yards away from them. 

"Yuna, go and get the others." Tidus said, glaring at the maester. 

"This is my fight, too." Yuna stood next to him.

"Please, Yuna..." She could feel the emotion in his voice that he tried to hide. "Please, go and get the others." 

Yuna ran, hoping to find her guardians before it was too late for Tidus. 

_|_

"Why do you do this?" Tidus asked, tightening his grip on his sword's hilt. 

"Because I must destroy Spira... to heal it's pain. To do this, I will become Sin. I was hoping for the help of Lady Yuna..." He made a gesture to the footprints Yuna had left behind. "If I become Sin, I will be able to ease the pain of your father, Sir Jecht." 

Tidus's eyes opened wide in surprise. 

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He snapped. 

"Oh, Sir Auron neglected to tell you?" Seymour tilted his head to one side. "Sir Auron never told you? Sin is Jecht, you father is Sin." 

"Shut up!" Tidus shouted, lunging at him with his sword. He made a deep cut across the guado's chest, red blood fell on the snow. 

Again and again, Tidus struck him with the blade. Everywhere, there was blood. He was drenched in it, Seymour was covered, in the snow, there was a small pool. 

Seymour raised his hand up in the air, and called the thunder down from the skies. Tidus was struck and catapulted backwards. 

He was hurtled at the stone wall, rocks fell from high above, pelting him. His own blood was spilled on the snow.

~

"Tidus!" Yuna called out. She had gotten her Guardians, just like she said she would. Everywhere, blood had been spilled. Seymour Guado was bleeding heavily from his many wounds. He saw them, Yuna and her Guardians, he smirked, and then in a flurry of pyreflies, disappeared. 

"Tidus!" Yuna knelt beside him. Tidus was lying on his stomach, choking. He tried to get up, but collapsed. He began to cough violently until he coughed up more blood. 

__

Cure. Yuna concentrated. She extended her arm. There was a small flash of white light, and Tidus had been healed. 

He sat up, and turned to look at Yuna. 

"Are you okay?" She asked. Tidus nodded in response. 

"Yuna. Send him." Auron said.

"Right." Yuna nodded. Tidus got up, and walked calmly over to Auron. 

He grabbed the guardian and slammed him against the rock wall. 

"Fryd dra ramm rybbahat, yht fryd dra vilg tet oui ryja du tu fedr ed!" He hissed. Auron's boots were barely touching the snow. Tidus's face contorted with anger. Auron smirked. Everyone else gasped. 

"What the hell happened and what the fuck did you have to do with it!" Tidus shouted. He had Auron jacked up the wall, his boots no longer touching the ground. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Jecht!" Tidus shouted. "Tell me what happened to my father!" 

"Hey -" Wakka interrupted. "How is Jecht you father if you're an Al -" 

"**SHUT UP**!" Tidus snapped. He turned his head briefly to regard Wakka, then turned back to Auron.

"You'll find out... eventually." Auron said.

"**NOW**! You tell me **NOW**!" Tidus's grip tightened on Auron's cape. 

"Jecht... became the final Aeon." He said. 

"Fryd dra vilg yna oui dymgehk ypuid." Tidus hissed. When Auron said nothing, Tidus repeated, loudly, in their language: "What the fuck are you talking about!" 

"There is no final Aeon." 

"What the hell do you mean 'There's no final Aeon'!?" 

"The summoner must choose a guardian to become the final Aeon. Jecht became Braska's final Aeon. Yunalesca makes the guardians a fayth." 

"Yunalesca?" Yuna asked in a small voice. "What do you mean 'Yunalesca'?" 

"Lady Yunalesca." Auron said.

"Unsent." Tidus looked down. He let go of Auron, who sank to his knees, then quickly got up. Tidus took a step backwards. "Will you still go to Zanarkand, then?" He looked at Yuna. 

She turned her head away from him.

"I need to go to Zanarkand... to see for myself... If it is really true..." Her voice was breaking up, but she refused to shed tears. 

"Lady Yunalesca, and her father, Yu Yevon, created sin. Yu Yevon wanted to become Immortal." Auron offered this last piece of information. 

"I don't understand, ya? How can Sir Jecht be your father if you're an Al Bhed." Wakka asked, scratching his head. Tidus refused to look at him. 

"Tidus isn't an Al Bhed." Yuna turned to face the rest of her guardians. "They found him in the Baaj temple ruins two years ago." 

"So what, they like took you in or something?" 

"Yes. They took me in." Tidus was grinding his teeth. He continued walking. Yuna gasped. 

~

"F- fayth!" Yuna stuttered. "Someone is using these fayth." She looked at the fayth, frozen, trapped in ice. 

Tidus was there, staring at them. She didn't know what compelled him to reach out and touch the frozen statues. There was a little flash of light, and Then he fell.

"Tidus!" Yuna called out. Too late. She ran to him. Wakka and Lulu gasped. Auron shook his head knowingly. Kimiharri said nothing. Yuna touched Tidus's forehead. He was somewhere else. 

_|_

"Where am I?" Tidus asked out loud. He opened his eyes. He heard Yuna call out for him, but he did not see her. Tidus looked around him. He knew this place... it was familiar... too familiar. "_Zanarkand..._" He whispered. 

Tidus heard the sound of a child giggling. He turned to the direction of the sound. A boy, he recognized this boy as Bahamut. 

Bahamut ran. Tidus followed him into a small apartment that he immediately recognized as his own. 

"Welcome home." Bahamut said, but Tidus wasn't listening to him. 

"**Rusa**." He whispered. 

"I've known about you for a long time." Bahamut continued. Tidus was walking back and forth, transfixed by everything in this room. He came to a framed photograph of his mother. He picked it up, careful not to damage it. "We've been dreaming for so long... and we're tired. And if we stop dreaming..." The world around them spun. Tidus turned to look at Bahamut, then back to the photograph of his mother, but it was no longer there. "Won't you and your father let us rest? We are tired..." Bahamut repeated. "A long time ago, there was a great war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. But the summoners of Zanarkand were no match for the machina of Bevelle, And Zanarkand was destroyed. But you... You are a dream of the Fayth. Zanarkand is a dream. If we stop dreaming... Please let us rest. We are tired. We will help you."

And Tidus just stared at him. He was asking a lot, but that thought didn't occur to him. These words weighed heavy on his mind. _You are a dream of the Fayth. Zanarkand is a dream. _How could Zanarkand be a dream? How could any of this be a dream? 

"Please! Wake up!" A voice called. The world spun once more, and Tidus felt like he was falling. 

_|_

Tidus opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Yuna. She breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled a little. 

"Are you all right?" Yuna asked.

"I'm fine." Tidus sat up. He wiped his eyes that were brimming with tears. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah... I'm okay. I was just dreaming." He got up, and they continued on. 

~

__

Zanarkand. Yuna looked down on the ruins from the cliff. Tidus stepped next to her, filling his eyes with the sight of the ruins. _This is not the Zanarkand he knew. _Yuna thought. _It is hard for him..._ But before she could reach out for him, He had turned away. 

They went down the path, to Zanarkand. 

_|_

__

Blood. Tidus thought to himself. Blood was everywhere. It stained his clothes. Everyone else was sleeping now, he had waited long enough. He took his knife, running the tip gently over his arm. He applied more pressure to the knife, and the blade sank deeper into his flesh. _Pain... _He twisted the knife. _Is it real? Zanarkand... was real once. _

Tidus heard footsteps. He ignored them. _What is real? _A little blood from his arm splattered on his face. _Dreams aren't real. They fade away in the morning. _He heard a gasp. He looked up. The knife fell from his hands.

~

"You're bleeding!" Yuna said, kneeling next to him. 

"Am I?" He asked, looking down. And there was the blood. "You don't know." But Yuna didn't hear him. She was tending to his wounds. "One of the Fayth came, and spoke to me." This got Yuna's attention. "When I touched the frozen fayth, I blanked out. When I opened my eyes, I was in Zanarkand." Yuna was looking up at him, gaping slightly. "The Fayth told me... that he was tired of dreaming." Tidus took a deep breath before continuing. "He told me that my Zanarkand was a dream, existing only in the minds of the Fayth. He told me that I am a dream. That I do not exist. They want to wake up, Yuna. They are tired. How could Zanarkand not exist? You see blood, my blood, but It isn't real." 

Yuna was silent, pressing her face against his chest. She could hear his heart beating. She wanted to cry, but wouldn't let herself. 

"What is real?" She whispered. Tidus was silent, also, putting his arms around her. 

_|_

Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, they started off for the Zanarkand dome. Everywhere, there were memories. Summoners and guardians. Seymour Guado, and his mother. Braska, Auron and Jecht. 

They reached the temple of Zanarkand, and fought the guardian there. They when down a set of steps, to see the fayth that would not give them the final Aeon. 

"No." Yuna shook her head, disbelieving. She did not want to believe what Auron had told them. "It's just an empty statue." 

"The final Aeon can still be obtained! come, Lady Yunalesca will show you!" The pyreflies swirled together to form the image of a man, probably an old maester, and then dissipated. There, a doorway opened. 

"Kimiharri go first. Yuna be safe." The Rhonso said, stepping forward. 

~

This couldn't be true, but it was. Yunalesca appeared before them. 

"I congratulate you, Summoner, on completing your pilgrimage. Now, choose." 

"What are you saying!" Yuna was on the verge of tears.

"Many years ago, I chose my husband, Zaon, as my fayth. The bond between the Summoner and the fayth must be great, It can be the bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends." Yuna was not listening to this speech. Her eyes were welling up with tears. 

__

How can this be! Her mind screamed. _Tidus!_ She looked at him. _I - I can't do it! _Yuna buried her face against Tidus' chest. Hot tears burned through his shirt. 

"Why do all of the Fayth lie face down? Why do they look like they were in so much pain?" Tidus spoke, putting his arms around Yuna. "**Lyh oui damm sa fro!**" He shouted at Yunalesca, taken aback, hearing the language of the heathen Al Bhed. 

_|_

Tidus was angry, now. He was not from this world, but he could not go home. He owed his meager existence to a man fool enough to want to live forever. 

"Why did you choose Zaon to be your fayth? Why the fuck did you help your father who was stupid and selfish enough to want immortality? What kind of bitch would murder her husband to give her father immortality?" 

"I loved my husband. Zaon was willing." Yunalesca was loosing her patience. 

"Willing to do what? You didn't tell him, did you?" This wasn't a question. It was a statement. "Would Zaon be so willing if he knew what his death would bring?" 

Yunalesca had lost her patience, she raised her arms to the sky. 

"I will end your suffering now!" She shouted. 

~

The battle was over quickly, Yunalesca did not fight well when her mind was so filled with anger she could not think clearly.

The only way of defeating Sin, even if only for a little while, was forever gone. They left the Zanarkand dome, where Sin was waiting. Tidus stood calm, facing the monster. 

"Look!" Wakka pointed to the sky. The Airship! Sin appeared to be leaving, as the airship came closer, picking them up. 

_|_

"We're going after that thing!" Cid shouted from the cockpit. "I need you all out the deck! Rikku! Help them." 

There was no time to stop and think, it was time to fight again. Tidus followed the others as they ran out to the deck. Rikku was waiting for them. 

"Ready, Yunie?" She asked, but Rikku looked sad. Yuna looked down. 

"Yuna did not obtain the final aeon." Auron said.

"What? Then that means..." 

"**Hu. Fa ghuf yhudran fyo.**" [No. We know another way.] Tidus said. 

"**E thu'd ihtancdyht.**" [I don't understand.] Rikku shook her head. 

" **Dra **Fayth **femm ramb.**" [The Fayth will help.] Was all Tidus said, slamming his fist on the panel that opened the door leading out onto the deck.

"**Yhd drah fryd? Fryd femm rybbah du **Yuna?" [And then what? What will happen to Yuna?] Rikku asked. Wakka tolerated this conversation with a look of annoyance on his face. 

"**Hudrehk.**" [Nothing.] He looked back at Yuna. "**Hudrehk femm rybbah du **Yuna." [Nothing will happen to Yuna.]

_|_

They ran out onto the deck, prepared to fight sin. 

"**Tu oui ryja y bmyh**?" [Do you have a plan?] Rikku shouted over the noise of the airship's engine.

"**Ev fa lyh'd kad eh drnuikr dra suidr, fa'mm neb ubah y haf uha!**" [If we can't get in through the mouth, we'll rip open a new one!] Tidus shouted back. 

Cid fired off the guns on the ship from the cockpit. He managed to fire two more rounds before the rattling sound the guns made stopped. 

"Tidus!" Brother's voice came on over the speaker. "**Kad ouin ycc tufh rana dra veq dra vilgehk kihc!**" [Get your ass down here and fix the fucking guns!]

"**Vilg oui!**" [Fuck you!] Tidus shouted loudly. Rikku gasped. 

"**Huf tebcred! Tu oui fyhd di tei?**" [Now, dipshit! Do you want to die?" 

"**Veq dras ouicamv! E ryja du cdyo fedr Myto **Yuna!" [Fix them yourself! I have to stay with Lady Yuna!]

"Tidus! **Bmyca**!" [Tidus! Please!] Rikku shouted to him over the noise as the ship lurched. 

"**HUF OUI BEALA UV CRED**!" [NOW YOU PIECE OF SHIT!] Brother's voice came over the intercom again. There was a sound like something popping, and soon the entire ship was crawling with sinspawn. 

"**Vilg oui credrayt**. **E's kuehg**." [Fuck you shithead. I'm going.] Tidus grumbled. 

"**Thu'd ica myhkiyka mega dryd ynuiht so cecdan yccruma**." [Don't use language like that around my sister, asshole.] Brother said over the intercom as Tidus left the ship's deck.   
As soon as Tidus had gotten off the main deck, he ran down into the hull. Tidus pressed a few buttons on the maintenance lift, and there was a clicking sound. A small motorized door opened, and the lift moved outside. He found the problem, one of the cannons was smoking, badly damaged. He moved the lift over to the large gun and started working. 

Sin rammed into the ship, and Tidus was thrown against the side of the ship, hitting his head. Dazed, he continued working. With a click, the gun moved, targeting Sin. Tidus moved the lift back onto the ship, and started running to get back up onto the deck. There was a loud explosion. 

A fiend barred his way. Tidus had a gun, he fired it nonstop at the monster. A small click told him that the gun was empty. 

"**Vilg.**" Tidus hissed, pulling the trigger a few more times just to make sure. He charged at the fiend and jumped on its back, hitting it repeatedly with the butt of the gun until it dissipated in a flurry of pyreflies. He ran back onto the deck, where everyone was waiting. They had blown a hole in Sin's mouth, and the ship was moving in. 

"Are you all right?" He asked Yuna. She nodded. 

"We're all okay." Rikku confirmed. The airship entered through the mouth, and landed. Yuna followed Tidus off the ship, along with Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, Auron and Kimiharri. 

"The sea of Sorrow." Yuna looked down. 

"Yuna." Lulu said.

"I know." Yuna began moving forward. They passed through the gate. Tidus was hoping and dreading meeting his father again for the last time. 

Inside Sin was a city. A city that reminded Tidus of Zanarkand. And then he saw him. Jecht, his father. Braska's final Aeon. Sin. 

"You're late, Auron." Jecht said.

"I know." Auron said in response. 

"Hey." He said to Tidus, who met his eyes with a steady glare. 

"Hello." Tidus said coldly. 

"Well… you know…let's end this." 

"I hate you." Tidus spoke.

"I know. You know what you have to do. I can't hear the hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon, I'm going to be Sin. Completely. I'm glad you're here, now. But… when it starts, I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry." 

"Enough. Let's end this." Tidus clenched his fist. Yuna could see he had already started to grind his teeth. 

Jecht stepped forward, into the center of the circle floor. He had begun to glow, slightly. He took a step backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the circle. Tidus watched him fall over the edge into the fiery pit below. 

"I will not lose." Tidus drew his sword as High Summoner Braska's final Aeon towered above them."This isn't just your fight." Auron stepped forward. 

"It is my battle, too." Yuna said, standing beside Tidus. 

Tidus let out a battle cry, and ran forward to attack the final aeon. 

~

It was over quickly, Jecht reappeared in the center circle, and he fell. Tidus rushed quickly to his father who lay dying. 

"Hey." Jecht said to him, weakly. Something inside Tidus snapped. Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't make a sound. His mouth was tightly closed. He had stayed too long in this strange world. 

"I… still hate you." He said. 

"Heh." 

"Sir Jecht… I should…" Yuna cut in. 

"No, Yuna, there's no time!" 

Yu Yevon. 

"Stay back!" Tidus stood up. 

"Yuna… the Aeons…" Jecht said.

"Call us!" The voice of the fayth echoed. Jecht's form dissipated. Tidus tightened the grip on his sword. 

"Here it comes." Lulu said. 

"Yuna." Tidus called out. Yuna nodded.

One by one, Yuna summoned her Aeons, and one by one, Yu Yevon took them, and they struck them down. When there were no more Aeons, nowhere else to hide, Yu Yevon was forced to show himself.

"Yuna." Tidus turned to her. "This is the last time… I will fight with you." 

"What!?" Wakka exclaimed, sounding puzzled. 

"After this fight, I will disappear." 

"What are you saying!?" Lulu sounded confused. 

"I am saying goodbye." Tidus approached Yu Yevon, brandishing his sword. Only Yuna, who stood silently, understood. 

_|_

Somewhere in Besaid, people were celebrating the defeat of Sin, and the eternal calm. The Aeons were vanishing, and they were turning into stone. Finally, they could rest. 

Yuna performed her sending, all of the energies of Sin, all of the people it had killed, danced with her. Tidus watched Auron slowly begin to fade, he was an unsent, after all. Yuna suddenly stopped. 

"Don't stop." Auron said. 

"But…" 

"It's been long enough. This is your world now." Auron stepped forward and dissolved into a flurry of pyreflies. 

Tidus looked down. He was beginning to fade. Yuna looked at him in horror. 

"I have to go." 

She shook her head in protest. Tidus stepped dangerously close to the edge of the airship, and looked down, like Yuna had seen him do so many times before.

"Hey!" Wakka called after him. 

"Are we ever gonna see you again…?" Rikku asked, but Tidus didn't hear them.

"Yuna!" Kimiharri shouted as Yuna ran to Tidus, trying desperately to hold on to him. She passed through him, and landed with a thud on the Airship deck. A tear slid down her cheek. She picked herself up, and stood with her back to Tidus. 

"Thank You." She said, but there was something in her voice. By 'Thank You', what she meant was 'I Love you' but she didn't have to say it. 

Tidus walked up to her. His eyes were glassy. 

"I'm sorry." He whispered. He wrapped his arms around her, though Yuna didn't feel him. She turned against his chest, little ripples forming in the air where she touched him. Tidus turned away and ran. He jumped off the deck of the airship, finally taking the plunge. 

And then, there was nothing. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________


End file.
